Guide Profiles: Here’s What Makes Our Guides Special.

Become a TRT Guide.

Interested in learning more about becoming a guide? Click on “Contact” button and send us an inquiry. It’s a fun way to explore the Raleigh and Durham, meet some great people and get paid!

Brad- Chief Fun Officer

Tell us something about yourself.

I’m an active adult who enjoys music, videos, reading, cooking and global travel. My previous career was in pharmaceuticals and healthcare software. I love meeting the people who come on my tours.

Tell us a fun fact about yourself…something that makes you unique.

Oh, do I have too! I have an infectious smile. Come see for yourself.

What do you like best about being a guide?

The opportunity to meet all kinds of people. Guests tell me that they learned or are informed and don’t even know they are learning. That is kinda cool for me, not ever being a teacher by profession.

What is your favorite part of the tour?

Wow, I do all the tours so this could take some time. Raleigh: Pullen Park, Durham: American Tobacco Campus & the people, places & events that created the wealth of the Tobacco Empire, Raleigh Ghost/Pub Crawl, City Cemetery stories, Mecca culinary stop, Mordecai Historic Park stop, Durham Dark & Mysterious/Pub Crawl, Devil’s teacher story…do you need more?

A favorite/funny comment/scariest moment /thing that happened on one of your tours?

Raleigh Haunted Footsteps Ghost tour: the AMAZING Orbs over my shoulder taken from a guests photo: made me a believer!

What can participants expect on your tour?

TRT Tours incorporate a blend of sightseeing, history and the stories about people, places and events that have given Raleigh & Durham its rich culture. Obviously, there are paranormal, haunting and ghost stories on the Pub Crawl & Haunted Adventure and family friendly ghost tours. With the Culinary & Cultural, Craft Cocktail and NEW Raleigh Comedy Bus Tour we really offer something for everyone either visiting or living in the Triangle!

Jean- Raleigh Guide

Tell us something about yourself.

I was born and raised in Raleigh; however, I have lived many different places. I am a patron of the arts, the quintessential tourist, a life-long student, and fascinated by people and biographies.

Tell us a fun fact about yourself… something that makes you unique.

I love to write! I always attributed my interest in writing to the fact that my great-grandfather was William Faulkner. Image my surprise when I learned HE was NOT the writer William Faulkner.

What do you like best about being a guide?

I love people and I enjoy meeting new ones. It is interesting to learn what brings them to town.

What is your favorite part of the tour?

I try to bring the stories to life and I enjoy seeing our guests’ reactions. I love hearing their laughter, seeing their grimaces, and hopefully at the end of the evening their telling me they enjoyed the tour.

A favorite/funny comment/scariest moment/thing that happened on one of your tours?

It was a private tour –a birthday celebration. The birthday boy was so cute and funny! After the first couple of stories, he said, “I don’t mean to be critical, but it sounds like the early Raleighites were a bit clumsy.” His wife had brought glow in the dark glasses for everyone to wear. As we passed an outdoor eating establishment, its customers did double takes of each of us. The birthday boy sang out loudly, “Yep, we are all together!” I still chuckle when I think of him and that tour. I wish him many more birthdays full of laughter and good friends.

What can participants expect on your tour?

Hopefully an entertaining experience full of fun, spine-tingling shivers, tidbits of trivia and history, and a few giggles and belly-laughs thrown in for good measure!

David -Raleigh Guide

Tell us something about yourself.

I was born in Spain and I speak fluent Spanish.

Tell us a fun fact about yourself… something that makes you unique.

I’m a professional Saxophone player and I play in a few wedding bands in the area.

What do you like best about being a guide?

My favorite part of being a tour guide is meeting and learning new things from people I never would have met otherwise.

What is your favorite part of the tour?

I feel like I should say something clever or talk about a historic event that affected me, but if I’m being honest, the beer is tops on my list!

A favorite/funny comment/scariest moment/thing that happened on one of your tours?

We make you sign the liability waver in case the Raleigh Sewer Monster gets you!!!!!

What can participants expect on your tour?

On my tour, I like to treat everyone like they are an old friend that is stopping by to visit me in Raleigh and I just happen to take them to the most haunted places in downtown.

Rebecca – Raleigh Guide

Tell us something about yourself.

I’m just a Midwest girl who has been living abroad for awhile and now landed in NC! I’m a lover of exploring cultures, meeting new people, history, traveling, and cats. And yes, my cat has a passport.

Tell us a fun fact about yourself… something that makes you unique.

I’ve been deported from two different countries…..it’s a great story to share over some beer.

What do you like best about being a guide?

Meeting new people all the time and the chance to share things they didn’t know prior to going on the tour. Plus no two days are ever the same!

What is your favorite part of the tour?

Moments when people get really involved in the tour. I don’t always only want to hear the sound of my own voice!

A favorite/funny comment/scariest moment/thing that happened on one of your tours?

One large extended family re-enacted some of the ghost stories for family photos. They did their best to look spooky and even dead! It was so much fun to join in and also watch a family come together and enjoy themselves so much.

What can participants expect on your tour?

Of course a fun time! But hopefully everyone also walks away with some new interesting stories or historical tidbits to share and have met a new friend or two along the way too!

JM – Raleigh Comedy Bus Tour

He is who he is, he’s just Mike. A comic based out of Raleigh, NC, he is the host and producer of the Comedy Night At Raleighwood! comedy series. He also splits time between being on the road with being a host on Raleigh’s Comedy Bus.

In 2013 and 2014, he was an anchor on the “Unusual Suspects” Tour, making his way around the Southeast Region.

As a House Emcee for the Comedy Zone (2013 – 2016), he has had the pleasure of working with great names, some of which include Julie Scoggins, Michael Harrison, Terry McNeely, Pedro Lima, and Craig Carmean. He has also featured for the likes of Kurt Green and Sean Jones.

Through his Cure For The Mondays collective, JM has partnered with local organizations to host, perform in, and help to organize charity events for Non-Profits like The Alliance of AIDS Services – Carolinas and Stop Hunger Now. Through Cure For the Mondays, he has also been to book shows for, and perform with, touring comedians (i.e. – Matt Ward’s “Dork For Life” Tour, Port City Comedy Tour).

What do you like best about being a guide?

What I feel I bring to the table as a host is to take boring facts (which, let’s face it, is how a lot of people view history) and put my own comedic spin on them, thus making them more relatable and hilarious. I’ll spit some gems, I may spit some duds, hopefully the alcohol will cover for me on those.

What can participants expect on your tour?

I’m excited to be a part of the tour for multiple reasons, the biggest being that it is truly unlike anything Raleigh has experienced. We’re talking history, comedy, and alcohol in one shot? Maybe you’ll learn something, maybe you won’t remember anything, but either way, you’ll have fun.

Additional profile coming soon.

Eric – Raleigh Comedy Bus Tour

Tell us something about yourself.

I am originally from West Virginia and I am a huge sports fan. I grew up on the mean street of Elkins, WV and I’m part of a huge extended Italian family. As there was only one street and the ghetto was the alley behind the Tasty Freeze.

With this family he learned how to work hard, take a joke, and not take anything too seriously. I love making people laugh.

What do you like best about being a guide?

I love meeting the people who take the tour and give them fun nuggets of information.

What is your favorite part of the tour?

My favorite part is the Joel Lane House and seeing people try Cherry Bounce at Issac Hunters.

A favorite/funny comment/scariest moment /thing that happened on one of your tours?

My favorite thing that happened after the tour was being asked to have a drink after with a family from Cincinnati.

What can participants expect on your tour?

History and punchlines.

Tell us a fun fact about yourself… something that makes you unique.

I have done stand-up comedy for about 5 years. Sarcastic. Witty. Twisted. Cannot keep quite. These were the words that were written my first report card. I went to Elkins High School where I primarily went to class and sat the bench in football. During this time I realized that I was really too city for the country and too country for the city.

I get my ideas for material from growing up in the country, my family, relationships, and just weird observations that made every day. Always coming up with something sarcastic or witty to say about each and every topic.

Eric has played clubs in several cities throughout North Carolina. He has worked with emmy winning writers and nationally touring comics that have been on Comedy Central, HBO, and Last Comic Standing. He has been heard on Raleigh area’s G105 Bob and the Showgram as the promo for The Last Smart Ass Standing.

Laurie -Raleigh Tours

Tell us something about yourself.

Hello! My name is Laurie. I live right in the heart of downtown Raleigh and when I’m not guiding folks through the big bad streets of our state capital, I’m slinging sodas at 30,000 feet and showing passengers the art of buckling a seat belt.

Tell us a fun fact about yourself… something that makes you unique.

I have a huge appreciation for a good ghost story. I have taken ghost tours (as a tourist!) in about 20 other cities across the US, Canada, and the UK, including Savannah, New Orleans, Albuquerque, Providence, Dublin, and Quebec City.

What do you like best about being a guide?

Meeting new people!

What is your favorite part of the tour?

This is a hard question to answer, but I’d have to say the City Cemetery. It is usually dark, isolated, and a little sad. I think graveyards are beautiful and fascinating. There is so much to learn there; such a feeling of peace during the day, and a creepy feeling at night.

A favorite/funny comment/scariest moment /thing that happened on one of your tours?

We were at City Cemetery and there was a gentlemen there conducting some EVP research. He was speaking to a little girl who died an untimely death. He added a unique perspective to our tour-a lagniappe (a little something extra) for my guests to learn about.

What can participants expect on your tour?

David – Senior Tours Director

Tell us something about yourself.

I a proud graduate of NC State University with a degree in Recreation and Tourism Management.

Tell us a fun fact about yourself… something that makes you unique.

I am a Classic Muscle Car fanatic. In addition, I love kayaking and hiking around Jordan Lake.

What do you like best about being a guide?

I enjoy sharing new destinations and showcasing NC’s history and attractions.

What is your favorite part of the tour?

My favorite part of the tours or trips is taking a group to a new destination and helping them have a great time while seeing this new attraction.

A favorite/funny comment/scariest moment/thing that happened on one of your tours?

During one of my trips to Western Carolina, bad directions led them on a very mountainous and uncomfortable ride through a pretty remote area of mountains at night. But, no one got motion sickness and even though we arrived late, the restaurant still served the group dinner and we all had a good laugh.

What can participants expect on your tour?

Participants can always expect to see my passion for serving people and my passion for showcasing the trip unique attractions.

Jacquelyn – Private, Culinary & Craft Cocktail Tours

Tell us something about yourself.

I’ve been working with TRT for 3 years now doing the social media, marketing and couple of other fun logistical things. When I went on the new culinary and the new craft cocktail tours to take some pictures and post of social media, I ended up loving them so much that I asked if I could be a guide for these two tours.

Tell us a fun fact about yourself… something that makes you unique.

I was in an Off-Off Broadway showcase in NYC when I was 15. What an experience. I never made it to Broadway, but I’ll always have the Off-Off. LOL!

What do you like best about being a guide?

I love meeting new people and having so much fun, while getting paid! You can’t beat that. I also love working with the restaurant and bar partners.

What is your favorite part of the tour?

My favorite part is sharing the interesting stories, architecture, historical figures of Raleigh. My two favorite stories to share are about Joel Lane and the history of our Capital building – can’t tell you the stories now, come on my tour and you will enjoy all the little tidbits about downtown Raleigh.

A favorite/funny comment/scariest moment/thing that happened on one of your tours?

There are so many, I can’t even think of one….I hate it when that happens. I lead the food and cocktail tours so everyone is supper happy when the food and beverages are plentiful. I’ve lead some groups where we all just fall down laughing…and that’s before any drinks are served!

What can participants expect on your tour?

Come prepared to laugh and learn. Oh, and I love to post pictures of my groups on social media so be prepared to strike a pose.

Become a TRT Guide.

Interested in learning more about becoming a guide? Click on “Contact” button and send us an inquiry. It’s a fun way to explore the Raleigh and Durham and meet some great people.

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Why ‘Tobacco Road’

Used by the Native American tribes during important ceremonies, tobacco has been a mainstay agricultural crop since the 1600s and grown throughout the Sandhills, Piedmont and Mountain regions of North Carolina. North Carolina is still the number one producer of tobacco in the US.

The name 'Tobacco Road' traditionally means "a squalid poverty stricken rural area or county." Most tobacco farms in the south were owned by families and located in small, rural areas. 'Tobacco Road' was dubbed by the media when referring to the many Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) teams in close proximity off old US-Hwy 70: Duke, NC State, UNC and Wake Forest.Read more about Tobacco Road Tours